Escape to Reality
by Indigo Tantarian
Summary: Dark Magician's POV. What if monsters become real when their player dies with them on the field? An unhappy Dark Magician finds out. He thinks his problems are over, but they're just beginning!
1. Death and 'Birth'

Author's Note: This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic, so please be kind. I love the Dark Magician, and I had a strange thought about the cards one day. And you know, Yugi's not the only one with a Dark Magician in his deck, I'm sure. So this is a little one-shot thing from the Dark Magician's point of view that looks like it should be continued. But I don't know what to do with it. So if you have any great ideas, let me know. Kaiba may be a bit out of character, but he's such a minor character that I don't care too much. And yes, in my world, there are random stadiums and famous champions go there all the time. I'd like to write a fanfic about Bakura and his Yami some day, but for now, this is all I've got. Enjoy! But watch out for bad situations and a bit of death, as the beginning is full of them. And please review!  
  
  
Escape to Reality  
  
  
"Heh heh… I play the Dark Magician in attack mode!" the old man said smugly. I was ripped from the safety of my card to stand on the battle field. My master laughed, his multiple chins bouncing, as he took a drink from a brown bottle. He always appeared to have such confidence in me. Despite that, though, he always screamed at me when he lost. Most people don't talk to their cards, but my master is rather ancient, and his mind is quickly deteriorating. Being quite skilled in the ways of magic, I am especially attuned to my master and the world around him. This is a mixed blessing, since his health is so bad that it makes me weak. It even brings my attack and defense points down drastically. When he drinks, I feel sick. When he smokes, I have a coughing fit. Today he seemed even worse than usual, and I could feel my heart laboring to beat enough like his. I could barely see straight.  
  
His opponent was a boy with short brown hair and a long blue trench coat. Seto Kaiba, the reigning Duel Monsters champion. He looked twice as smug as my master.  
  
"Dark Magic Attack!" my master gurgled. I suppressed a wave of nausea and did as he commanded. The boy's Hitotsume Giant was blown away. His life points went down to 1000, matching my master's.  
  
'Perhaps I'll win today,' I thought to myself. 'Then he won't yell so much. My ears nearly bled last time.'  
  
My head swam. It was hard to concentrate. I looked up, but the boy was still smiling. "Oh no, not a Dark Magic Attack. I don't have any cards strong enough to withstand THAT," he said with a smirk. He paused, glanced down at his deck, and his smile widened. "Oh wait, wrong deck! Sorry. This is the deck where almost EVERY creature I have could beat it. My mistake. Now… Go, Blue-Eyes White Dragon! In attack mode!"  
  
I nearly fell over. A Blue Eyes! I had no chance! I'd be fine after the duel of course, but my master would be so angry…  
  
Just then, I heard a strange sound and realized that all this panic was not merely my own. I turned to see my master, his face a bright purple, fall over. I felt intense pain in my chest and doubled over in agony.  
  
"White – What?" the boy exclaimed. He saw me writhing in pain, but then he saw that my master had rolled off of the duelist's platform and onto the ground. Kaiba cursed, put his cards down, and walked quickly over to my master. He then ran back to his side of the arena, pressing the button that ended the match, and tore off towards town saying he had to find a phone to call an ambulance.  
  
I felt it the moment he died. There was a horrible soul-wrenching pain, and then nothing. No pain. And I no longer felt sick. In fact, I felt surprisingly light and… mobile. I was no longer confined to the square on which I stood. I cautiously stepped off and floated down off the field. Of course, I went to my master first. He was indeed dead. One hand was on his chest. The other one clutched his wallet. He was greedy to the end.  
  
I went up to his platform to look for my card, curious to see what had happened to it. I found it, but it was empty. I picked it up, and it blackened and turned to ash in my hand.  
  
'So I must be trapped here. In the human realm,' I thought. I had learned much about this world through my master. There were many things I would need that I had never needed in my card. Like food. And money to buy things. And probably different clothes. I took the deck of cards and went back down to my former master. I regarded him silently. Would I miss him? I thought of all the things he had put me and the other cards through. No, I wouldn't miss him. Hearing sirens approaching, I grabbed his wallet and ran. By the time the paramedics got there, I was long gone.  
  
After running for about half an hour on the forest path, I ducked to the side and slid down against the trunk of a huge tree. I wasn't used to running, so it took me quite a while to catch my breath. When I finally stopped heaving and panting, I looked at what I held in my hands. First the wallet. It was very worn and fat, bulging with various pieces of things. As I opened it, numerous bits of paper fell out. I looked, but they were mostly old ticket stubs and addresses. I took everything out of the wallet, crumpling the useless paper up into a ball and putting the money back in. Luckily, there was a fair amount of money there. I paused at the driver's license, credit cards, and other such cards. Although I didn't know how to drive, or how to use any of them, I kept them. They could be useful.  
  
Then I set down the wallet and looked at the deck of cards. I knew better than anyone else that they could hear me and were aware of what had happened.  
  
"Don't worry," I said softly to the deck. "Now that I am in this realm, I'll take care of you and duel with you." The Celtic Guardian, on top of the deck, stared up at me. I knew he had heard. And I knew that the others would at least get the idea.  
  
Now, on to other things… I would stick out far too much in these clothes. I set the cards on the ground by the wallet and stood up. Holding my staff close to me, I concentrated… I changed my robes into black pants and a purple turtleneck. But my tall hat… I only took it off to sleep. I would feel naked without some sort of head covering. Not to mention the fact that it made me appear taller. I finally settled on a much smaller version of it. I picked up my new wallet and cards, putting them into my pocket. Then I set off into the world, towards whatever might be in store for me.  
  
  
Endnote: Well, what do you think? Personally, I think it has some very good ideas but the story itself needs work. But please, tell me what you think! Review, PLEASE!!! 


	2. Theatrical Experience

Author's Note: Wow, thanks for the reviews! I really didn't expect such a good reception. But anyway, I really wanted to do a minor cameo at work in this story, so this is now an official AU fic. It's a cross between the Yu-Gi-Oh world (Japan?) and St. Louis, MO in America. But only when I want it to be. It's mostly just that world. And also, I've never really played Duel Monsters, though I do have some cards. So don't expect any play-by-play battles. Anyway, please keep the reviews coming! I've got an idea where I'm going now, so I'll write a lot more, though it may take some time.  
  
  
Escape to Reality  
  
  
I had been wandering around for the past few days, not really sure what to do with myself. I hadn't gotten hungry yet, so I assumed that I didn't need to eat. This saved me a considerable amount of money. The only note-worthy thing I had done was duel against quite a few people. I lost my first duel spectacularly. When I was a card, I rarely had to worry about strategies! So after that, I dueled a number of young, inexperienced people to get the hang of it. It came to me quickly, and since then I won nearly ever duel. This was partly due to the cards, of course. I believed in them, so they worked well for me. My old master modeled his deck after the one owned by the first person to beat the world champion, so of course it was a wonderful deck. However, he never got even one piece of Exodia, so he still would have had no chance against Seto Kaiba.  
  
Now it was night, three days after I entered this world. I was walking through some sort of park. Nothing remotely interesting had happened lately, except that a small child had called me 'see-through' earlier. I had looked down at my hand. I most certainly was not transparent at all! So I put it out of my mind.  
  
I walked along a circular road next to a large outdoor theater. I could hear someone singing from it. ~"I wonder what the king is doing tonight"~ wafted through the air. I idly approached the box office. A girl in a purple shirt and khaki pants stood outside of it. She looked bored. As I got closer, she looked up at me. Her name tag proclaimed 'THE MUNY,' and under that was her name, which was long and began with an 'A.' I didn't want to appear to be staring, so I didn't look any closer.  
  
"Excuse me," the girl said, approaching me. "I have one ticket for the box seats for $40. Are you interested in it at all?"  
  
I considered. I wouldn't mind seeing a play. But for $40? "Hmm… Do you play Duel Monsters? I'll win it from you," I offered. She looked uncertain. "It would be more interesting than standing here, I'm sure. You look very bored."  
  
That decided her. "Well, okay, but let's go over to that bench over there so the box office people don't see me playing when I'm supposed to be working."  
  
"Aren't you a 'box office person?'" I asked as we walked.  
  
"Oh no, I'm an usher," the girl said, pointing to her sleeve, which clearly read 'USHER.' "I'm just here to answer questions and monitor the lines. Somebody gave me this ticket because her friend couldn't make it tonight. Oh, just to warn you, I've only played this a couple of times. And my cards are at home," she said.  
  
"Well, I suppose you can borrow half of my deck then," I said. I shuffled the deck and cut it, letting her choose which half to take.  
  
She started out with the Sorcerer of the Doomed and I chose the Witty Phantom. While she lacked experience, she had some good strategies. Nevertheless, I won fairly easily.  
  
"Wow, I suck," the hapless usher said. "Okay, here's your ticket. Hey, you know, you look a lot like the Dark Magician! That's my favorite card. But anyway, just go down there, then up to your right and there'll be loads of ushers around who can show you where your seat is."  
  
She held out the ticket to me. I reached out to take it, but… my fingers passed right through it! The usher's smile had changed to a slightly worried look. I tried again, but my hand went right through the ticket and her fingers. This was not good. She looked really suspicious now.  
  
"Never mind, I don't want to see the show," I said, and walked quickly away. What was going on? I reached out to touch a tree. That was no problem. I reached down to touch the grass. It was there too. I picked a blade and it immediately fell through my fingers. Panicking, I took out my cards and wallet. I could feel them. They stayed in my hands.  
  
I decided that this wouldn't do. I needed help badly. So I went to the only source of help I had. I looked through my cards. Who could I ask? Then the Ancient Elf came to my hand. I heard his quiet, slightly raspy voice in the back of my mind.  
  
/Ask the creator. He can help you. The one who created us in the dry golden land./  
  
'The creator… The one who lived 3000 years ago? But surely he's been dead for ages!' I answered the Elf.  
  
/No, he lives, in a manner of speaking. He is a spirit, but he still exists. He woke a while ago. Seek him out./  
  
With that, the Ancient Elf was silent.  
  
I had a spell I could use to find a spirit from the dawn of my existence. But that would have to wait until tomorrow. It was far too late to go on a search.  
  
I looked around and spotted a gazebo on a small island in a lake across from the theater's box office. I went to the shore and looked around. No one was there. The usher had gone. So I levitated over the water and settled down for the night in the gazebo. The sky was clear and the weather was very warm, so I would have no problem sleeping here. Tomorrow, I would begin my search.  
  
  
  
Endnote: Not a terribly good chapter, I know, but it's leading up to more, as you can see. I was going to do something about him having no shadow or reflection, but I'd be copying Fushigi Yuugi and many, many other things. Oh well. I promise it'll get a little better, at least! Tell me what you think! 


	3. A Sending

Author's Note: Okay, first some answers for my WONDERFUL reviewers (thank you)! Star, I wasn't trying to copy Bed of Downs. I had read Creature Comforts before (I loved it!) and thought of the idea before you posted Bed of Downs. Lily22 and Dee Jay, don't worry! Yugi is coming! You'll see in this chapter. I'm afraid I'm not making Dark Magician amazingly intelligent, but hopefully it'll come off more as naive than stupid. Other than that I guess that's it. Please keep reviewing, I'll try to keep putting up chapters, but I'm running out of ideas. So help me out if you can (when you review!).  
  
  
Escape to Reality  
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
  
I woke up early the next morning and levitated over to the other shore. There were a few joggers lurking about, but otherwise, the park was deserted. I took a random piece of paper out of my wallet and rolled it up into a cylinder. I pinched the end to make it pointy. I could turn this into a magical compass that would point to whatever I wanted. And surely there wouldn't be too many 3000 year-old spirits around.  
  
As soon as I finished enchanting the roll of paper, it rotated to point northwest. It was pulling strongly, so that must mean the person I was searching for was fairly close by.  
  
I followed the pull of the paper as well as I could. Occasionally I had to go slightly off-course to avoid buildings or busy streets. I eventually ended up in another, much smaller park. It was nothing more than a few trees, a couple of benches, and a bit of playground equipment. There was a mother watching her child go down the slide over and over. There was also a boy with longish white hair who looked lost in thought. The paper was practically dragging me over to the white-haired boy, so I quickly disenchanted the paper, tossed it in a trash can, and walked over, trying to decide what to say. As I got close, I could feel the presence of the ancient spirit himself.  
  
"Excuse me," I said. The boy jumped slightly and looked up at me. "Umm… You…. You are an ancient Egyptian spirit, aren't you?" He suddenly looked terrified. What had I said to scare him so much?  
  
"Well… no," the boy said nervously. "I… He lives inside of my –" he stopped, looking even more frightened. It reminded me of a person being interrupted by another person, although there seemed to be no one else around.  
  
"Please, I need your – or his – help. I used to be a Duel Monsters card, the Dark Magician. My master died while I was on the field and somehow I was able to enter this world. But now I can't touch anything besides what I have with me. And plants that are still growing. I don't know what to do! Please help," I pleaded.  
  
"What do you mean, you can't touch anything?" the boy asked.  
  
"Look," I said. I pulled out my cards. "Now hand me something."  
  
The boy hesitated for a second and then pulled a coin out of his pocket. He offered it to me. I reached for it, and closed my fingers around it, but just like before, my hand passed right through.  
  
The white-haired boy looked shocked. "What!? How –" he said, but appeared to be cut off again. Then suddenly a round area on his chest started to glow. His hair became spikier and his eyes grew slanted, with no innocence or fear left in them.  
  
"Don't waste time talking to my hikari, he can't help you," he said in a much more confident voice. "I, however, may be able to. Obviously, you can only touch things your master touched before you. You're lucky he touched the ground, because otherwise I'm sure you'd sink into it. And things growing from the ground count as well."  
  
"Please Ancient One, I beg your help," I said, casting my eyes down. He must have been a mighty lord, close to the Pharaoh in life.  
  
"Yes, I can help," he said with a slight smirk. "But you will have to get something for me first. You see, it's a complicated ritual. I need a special item that I'm sure you can get for me, Dark Magician." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a wallet. He opened it and flipped through some pictures before showing one to me. It was a short boy with black, magenta, and yellow hair smiling out at me. He looked very friendly. Around his neck was an oversized golden pyramid.  
  
"You see that thing on his neck?" the spirit asked.  
  
"Yes. With the Sennen Eye on it," I said.  
  
"Exactly," he said, smiling. "Bring it to me and I can help you. He lives with his grandfather, and can often be found in the old man's game shop. It's right down this street. Just keep going, you'll run into it eventually."  
  
"Thank you so much," I said, truly grateful. "Please, what is your name?"  
  
The white-haired spirit's eyes narrowed a bit. "I may tell you when you return. The owner of the Sennen Puzzle is very tricky, and I don't want him to know this has anything to do with me. Understand?"  
  
"Yes, I think so," I said. "Thank you again! I'll return with the puzzle."  
  
The spirit snickered. "I look forward to that time," he said. Then his hair fell down a bit and his eyes became rounder again. Ah, the hikari was back. He looked absolutely miserable. He looked as if he wanted to tell me something, but when I gave him a questioning look he just shook his head and looked down. So I shrugged slightly and set off walking toward the game shop. 


	4. Turnabout

Author's Note: Okay, now that I know where I'm going with this (for the most part), I don't really need too many suggestions any more. Not that I got many in the first place… But I would like suggestions about what the Dark Magician's name should be. After all, if he does get to stay in the real world, he can't very well introduce himself as "Dark Magician," now can he? So any suggestions for that would be welcome. Or if I don't get any I like, he'll make up his own name without telling you. I don't plan to use this particular Dark Magician again, so he won't need to let you know. I would, however, still like to do a Bakura fic. So any ideas about something like that would be welcome. Next chapter might be the last! Enjoy, and please review!  
  
Oh yes, and a few translation notes that people might have needed:  
  
Yami: Dark  
  
Hikari: Light  
  
Sennen: Thousand Year (or Millenium)  
  
  
Escape to Reality  
  
  
The game shop wasn't hard to find. I got there a bit after noon. Since the white-haired spirit didn't seem to trust the people here, I decided I'd better be careful. So I ducked behind a bush next to the shop and crouched under a window, peering through it every once in a while to stay on top of the situation. There was an old man with spiky gray hair behind the counter. Two boys, one with blond hair and one with brown pointy hair, were leaving the shop. There, I saw the one I was looking for. He waved at the two other boys as they left, the Sennen Puzzle resting on his chest. I ducked out of sight as he turned towards my window.  
  
After a minute, I looked again. The boy was behind the counter now. He was nodding at the old man who was leaving through a door in the back of the shop that probably led to the house. After hiding below the window again, I once more looked at the boy. He looked deep in thought. He was staring at a deck of Duel Monsters cards which he held in one hand. The other hand idly fingered his Sennen Puzzle. He stayed like that for a minute before looking up. I quickly dropped out of sight again. I stayed down for a couple of minutes before cautiously peeking in the window. The boy was gone. Where was he?  
  
Suddenly, a cheerful voice behind me made me jump and then turn around.  
  
"Hi!" the boy said, grinning at me. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I… uh…" I said, not quite sure how to respond.  
  
"I thought I saw someone out here! Yami says you're a Dark Magician. You're my favorite card!! C'mon, why don't you come in," he said, going back to the door and beckoning for me to come along. I hesitated, but since I didn't see how else I could get the Sennen Puzzle, I followed.  
  
"Do you want some chocolate?" the boy asked, offering me a brightly-colored bag. "I'm Yuugi, by the way."  
  
"Umm… No thank you. I don't need to eat," I said.  
  
"Yeah, neither does Yami, but he likes chocolate! C'mon, try some!" Yuugi said eagerly.  
  
"It's not just that I don't need to eat," I said, trying to make the hyper kid stop shoving the bag in my face, "I couldn't if I wanted to. That's kind of why I'm here. I reached for the bag and, as expected, my hand passed right through. Yuugi's eyes grew wider, if that was possible. "I can't seem to touch anything my former master didn't touch before me."  
  
As I explained my situation, Yuugi hopped up on a high stoof, listening intently and eating the chocolate thoughtfully.  
  
"…So it led me to a … person… who said that if I got your Sennen Puzzle and brought it to him he could help me. I thought it was a bit strange that he carried a picture of you if he didn't even want you to know he was involved in something like this," I said.  
  
"Hmm… That does sound suspicious," the boy said, furrowing his brow. "Why don't you talk to Yami about it, he'll know what to do." With that, the Sennen Puzzle glowed. Some of Yuugi's bangs stood up against his hair's spikes. He grew taller. His eyes became narrow and slanted, much like the white-haired yami's.  
  
"Tell me, was this another yami, like me?" the yami asked.  
  
"He… he said he didn't want you knowing he was involved," I said. "So I assume he knows you. I can't tell you anything else."  
  
"This sounds like the work of the tomb robber…" he said, mostly to himself. "Did he have white hair and brown eyes? And a very scared hikari?"  
  
I tried not to let on that he was right, but something must have showed in my face. The yami nodded.  
  
"I see. Then it's Bakura again," he said. "Unfortunately, although he probably could help you, he wouldn't. He just wants my Sennen Puzzle for himself. He would probably lock you in the Shadow Realm if you brought it to him."  
  
Of course, all this upset me a bit. I looked into the yami's violet eyes. "How do I know who to believe?" I asked quietly.  
  
"You would take the word of another Dark Magician, wouldn't you?" he asked, holding up his deck with a Dark Magician on top. I instinctively reached out to try to touch my brother, but then I remembered what would happen and withdrew my hand.  
  
"Yes, of course," I said. "But since he isn't in my deck, I can't sense him very well."  
  
The yami smiled. "That's not a problem," he said. The same eye that was on his puzzle appeared on his forehead, and he thrust his deck at me. Before I could react, I was in the Shadow Realm. I panicked for a moment, and then a door suddenly appeared in front of me and opened. Another Dark Magician, still in his normal robes, stepped out.  
  
"I've been listening to everything," he said in a voice almost identical to my own. "You have a wonderful opportunity here. You have my word that Yuugi and his yami are completely trustworthy. I have also encountered Bakura and his yami. The hikari is very kind, but the yami controls him and wishes the world nothing but harm."  
  
"Thank you," I said. "I was beginning to suspect something like that, but I needed some confirmation."  
  
He smiled. "You're welcome. Now, Yami can't keep you here for long without you becoming a card again. You'd better go. Good luck!"  
  
Suddenly, I felt myself being jerked back to the game shop.  
  
"I'm sorry I doubted you," I said to the yami.  
  
"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling slightly. "It's understandable. And no one warned you about Yami Bakura, though I'm sure his hikari would have, given the chance."  
  
I nodded. Come to think of it, he had probably tried and been stopped.  
  
"Now, if we plan this the right way, you can get your… tangibility… and we can also do something about Yami Bakura," Yami Yuugi said. "Why don't you come out too, Yuugi?"  
  
The puzzle glowed, and where there had been one boy with spiky tri-colored hair, there were now two. I could really see the difference in height, among other things, now.  
  
"Great!" Yuugi exclaimed, grinning. "This'll be fun! I've been waiting for a way to get back at Yami Bakura for all those things he did to us. Especially Ryou."  
  
So we plotted and schemed well into the night. I stayed in a guest room overnight, and in the morning we were ready to carry out the plan.  
  
  
  
Endnote: Okay, next chapter, beware of me having to use my artistic license. For example, I'll give Yami Yuugi a few more powers than he probably has. Speaking of this, I have no idea if Yuugi's house has a guest room. I pulled that out of my writer's void too. But really, it doesn't matter. Please keep reviewing!!! Thank you! 


	5. Trickery and Deceit!

Author's Note: First of all, thanks for suggesting names! My favorite by far was "Yukei," suggested by Leigh. It means "tangible," and while that's not the most imaginative thing in the world, I really like the way it sounds! ^_^ Yay! Okay, next chapter is definitely the last one. It'll be short. Just to clear things up, I refer to Bakura (the light side) as 'Ryou' to save a bit of confusion when they're both in the same scene. Also, I found my focus straying away from the Dark Magician occasionally, but I try to keep him in the scene. And the way Ryou deals with his yami has been done before a lot, I know, but I really like it. I'm not trying to steal it from anybody, really. Thanks for the reviews. Keep it up!  
  
  
Escape to Reality  
  
  
The next morning found me walking casually down the street, back the way I had come yesterday. I walked alone. The Sennen Puzzle hung heavily around my neck. Yami Yuugi had done something to make it stay on me for a short time. This 'Bakura' person hadn't specified a place to meet him, so I just returned to the park.  
  
Sitting on the same bench was the hikari. His knees were up against his chest with his arms wrapped around them. His eyes looked reddish, as if he had been crying or was very tired.  
  
"I'm sorry I took so long," I said, approaching the boy. He jumped slightly and stood up. "You haven't been here all night, have you?"  
  
The hikari shivered and nodded. I really felt sorry for him. His yami didn't seem to care at all how he felt.  
  
"Well… here it is," I said, removing the puzzle from around my neck.  
  
The circle on his chest glowed (the Sennen Ring under his sweater, Yuugi had informed me), and the yami took control.  
  
"You came alone?" he asked.  
  
"You see no one else here, do you?" I asked. He narrowed his eyes at me. There was a rustling in the bushes beside us. He quickly stepped over and kicked into them. His foot connected with something that said, "Ow!" and a child fell out. The yami took a step forward and growled menacingly. The child let out an "Eek!" and ran.  
  
Secure in the knowledge that no one else was around since there were no other hiding places around, Yami Bakura reached out for the puzzle.  
  
Just before he touched it, the golden puzzle began to glow. I took a step back from the yami.  
  
"You fool!" he spat, stepping back a bit himself. "How dare you deceive me!"  
  
To his great surprise, both the yami of the puzzle and the hikari appeared, both with the Sennen Puzzle around their necks.  
  
"What!?" Yami Bakura exclaimed. But before he could do anything else, the eye on Yami Yuugi's forehead appeared and shimmered. Yami Bakura found himself completely immobile and helpless. Yami Yuugi pointed at him with two fingers. He slowly separated those fingers, and as he did there was suddenly a splitting and Ryou, the hikari, dropped to the ground. His yami remained standing, helplessly under Yami Yuugi's spell. Yuugi quickly went to help Ryou up and took him off to the side to explain the plan to him.  
  
"You've gone too far this time, tomb robber," Yami Yuugi said. "Your thieving ways and abuse of your hikari will stop right now." I stood behind him and watched. "And you'll keep your promise to the Dark Magician, though I know you didn't intend to."  
  
"Ha," the pale spirit sneered. "Try to make me. Without the Sennen Rod, you can't control my actions. And somehow, I don't see Malik helping you any time soon!"  
  
"Oh, I don't need it or him," said Yami Yuugi, smiling. Then he raised his voice a bit. "Yuugi? Is everything ready?"  
  
Yuugi ran back to his Yami with Ryou trailing behind hesitantly. "Yep! We're all ready," he said. Ryou looked worried.  
  
"First of all, this piece of filth must pay for what he has done," Yami Yuugi said. "I'll be glad to see the last of you."  
  
Suddenly, Ryou stepped up to him. "Please…" he said in a soft voice. Yami Yuugi turned to him. "Please don't' kill him. Or lock him in the Shadow Realm forever."  
  
"Are you asking me to show this disgusting piece of vulture-bait mercy!?" Yami Yuugi asked incredulously. "After all he's done to your friends? After all the abuse he put you through!?"  
  
"I… I know," Ryou said quietly. "But… he's still my yami. Could you stand by and watch Yuugi be killed, even if he'd been mean to you?" Yami Yuugi looked horrified. "It's the same thing, mostly. I know it isn't obvious, but… I don't think he's completely evil, the way you all think he is."  
  
We all stood staring at the white-haired hikari for a moment. Yuugi and his yami looked as if they couldn't believe it. I know I certainly couldn't. Yami Bakura had a strange look on his face. Mostly angry, but almost as if he could cry at the same time. Finally, Yami Yuugi spoke again.  
  
"If… that is what you wish, Ryou. It is your decision since he's your yami. But I will at least lay an enchantment on him so that he cannot harm you or anyone else any more."  
  
The boy looked fearfully from Yuugi's yami to his own, and back again. "All right," he said in barely a whisper.  
  
So Yami Yuugi cast the spell on Yami Bakura. He also removed the other yami from his paralysis. Yami Bakura staggered, regained his balance, glared at all of us, and went back to the Sennen Ring without another word.  
  
The other three turned to me. "Now," said Yami Yuugi, "The Sennen Ring and Sennen Eye, both of which Ryou now owns, can be used to draw and seal a person into the Shadow Realm. If I guide him, he should be able to reverse the effect and draw a Shadow Creature completely into this world."  
  
So Ryou, assisted by Yami Yuugi, carefully went through the steps to reverse the power of his Sennen items. He held the Eye behind the Ring, and as he recited the spell, a beam of black light crackling with red energy shot out of the Eye. As it passed through the Ring, it turned white and green. The light touched me, and for a second I felt nothing. Then suddenly the light washed over me completely. It was warm but felt like millions of tiny pinpricks all over my body. Then there was an instant of sheer agony and the light disappeared…  
  
  
Endnote: Ooh, cliffhanger!! Sorry, I couldn't resist. The last chapter's short, so expect it not too long from now. I've got it partially finished, but I'm not quite sure exactly what I want to do with everybody. Oh well, I'll figure it out soon. PLEASE review!!! Thanks! 


	6. Yukei

Author's Note: Whee, last chapter! Thank you so much for all the great reviews! Thanks again to Leigh for the great name, and I'll actually use it, finally! Just to remind you, 'Yukei' means 'tangible' in Japanese. This was a fun story, and now I have two more potential story ideas that will probably never be written. Oh well, it was nice writing this anyway! Endings aren't my strong point, but enjoy it anyway!  
  
  
Escape to Reality  
  
  
The light vanished suddenly and I was left blinking in the normal daylight.  
  
"Well, did it work?" Yuugi asked eagerly. He came up and touched my arm. I was a little surprised to actually feel his small fingertips.  
  
"Yay! Woohoo!! Yes!" Yuugi yelled, and went leaping all around the tiny park. His boundless energy constantly amazed me.  
  
"I'm glad I could help you," Ryou said softly, smiling at me. He turned to Yami Yuugi. "And thank you so much for your help. I'd better get home now, they might be worried. I haven't been home since yesterday morning." And with a wave, he left.  
  
Yuugi bounded back up to me. "Hey, now that you don't go right through things, have some chocolate!" he said, pulling another bag of chocolate out of his pocket. He pulled it open at the top and handed it to me. I ate a few, and was instantly in heaven. It was the most wonderful thing I'd ever experienced in my life.  
  
Yami grinned at my suddenly blissful expression. "So, what do you plan to do with yourself now that you're real?" he asked.  
  
I managed to snap you of the pure ecstasy that was chocolate long enough to answer. "Huh? Oh. Well, I don't really know. Before, I was planning on just being kind of wandering duelist. But now that I need to eat and such, I guess that isn't so smart. I don't imagine it pays very well."  
  
"Well, until you think of something else, you could always enter official duelists' competitions," Yami said.  
  
"Yeah!" agreed Yuugi. "Those big rich duelists and people like that are always holding tournaments and stuff. When we went to Pegasus's Duelist Kingdom, the prize money was three million dollars!! He didn't feed us until it was almost over, though. Most rich guys will make sure you're well-fed and everything."  
  
"That sounds great!" I said, smiling. "But… I may need some new cards. I have a good deck, but I saw some really great cards in your shop. I have some money, and I'd like to build up my deck a bit before I duel the kind of people who enter in big competitions."  
  
"Sure!" said Yuugi happily. "I might even be able to give you a discount, since you were a card! Oh, and that reminds me… You can't enter a contest as 'Dark Magician.' I mean, I guess you could, but people would look at you funny. You need a name."  
  
"Oh," I said, finishing off the bag of chocolate and making it disappear, probably to somewhere deep in the Shadow Realm. "I suppose I do. Any suggestions?"  
  
Yuugi shrugged. Yami thought for a minute. "Hmm… What was that I said yesterday? Real… tangible… What about Yukei?"  
  
"Yukei?" I asked. It meant tangible. "Not very imaginative, but… I think I like it. It seems to fit me very well."  
  
"Hmph… You dare to call ME unimaginative? I'll show YOU. After you get your cards, I challenge you to a duel. Pick whatever cards you want, they won't be able to save you!" Yami warned, grinning evilly at me.  
  
"Ooh, Yami's trying to be scary!" Yuugi taunted. "You'd better watch out! He might poke you with the Sennen Puzzle! It's sharp!"  
  
"Errg… Come here, hikari. I'll poke him with you head! That's pointier than any Sennen Puzzle!"  
  
"Ha! Not as pointy as your head, Yami!! And you can't catch me anyway!"  
  
"We'll see about that…!"  
  
So I followed the pair back to the game shop. I had a real body a name of my own, and even some friends, it seemed. Being real might be hard at times, but I knew it would be a lot more interesting than being a card.  
  
  
THE END!  
  
Endnote: Well, it's over! You can all go home now! But not before you review! This time, I won't ask nicely. I'll demand it. You MUST review my story, or suffer my wrath!! And look at my other stories and poems and such too! They're really great! Thanks! 


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